Talking about crowd-pleasers? There’s one for you! Is there anything better than a huge sharing platter of crispy and warm corn crisps, loaded with some goodies? Forget about the same old mediocre platter that you order in a pub after a few pints! Time to up the game and elevate this popular snack. These loaded healthy nachos are so good, but the real bonus is how incredibly good for you yet filling they actually are. Topped with freshly crushed avocado, cashew cream, roasted smoked chickpeas, chilli and peach salsa, and of course vegan cheese sauce.
What you will need to put together this platter
- plain corn nachos
- tomatoes- fresh in season or good qulity tinned cherry tomatoes
- juicy peaches- fresh in season or tinned ones
- fresh chilli
- avocado
- lime
- cashews soaked in sauerkarut juice or lemon juice
- soaked, uncooked chickpeas
- spices
- olive oil
- vegan cheese sauce- recipe here
Loaded healthy nachos- step by step
- Place nachos in an ovenproof dish and set aside, they will take 10 min to crispen up in the oven at 180 degrees
- Smoky chickpeas- simply dry them well using a kitchen towel, then coat with some sunflower oil, smoked paprika and a sprinkle of salt. Make sure all chickpeas are in one layer on the roasting tray, otherwise they will just cook rather than roast. Bake them for approx 20 min at 180 degrees. Set aside to cool down. You can make those beauties well in advance as roasted chickpeas last for few weeks in an airtight container.
- Make your cashew cream. Soak one cup of cashews in a hot water, for approx. 15 minutes. Now, discard the water and add half a cup of sauerkraut juice, or lemon juice, and place in a high-speed blender. I use Vitamix, but anything with a bit of power will do. You may need to add more juice, depending on the thickness of the cream. Check for salt. You are aiming for tangy, sour cream, just like dairy sour cream. Now, if this is too much to ask, you can top your nachos with any plant yoghurt mixed with lemon juice or use plant sour cream.
- Make your peach, chilli and tomato salsa. Place 2-3 large (or one tin), super-ripe tomatoes chopped in chunks into a tall jug, add 1 peach, chopped in chunks, as little or as much fresh chilli as you want, a splash of good olive oil and use the pulsing action of your blender. You want the salsa to remain chunky. Check for salt, and now add lots of fresh parsley or coriander, or both. Set aside
- Make your crushed avocado. Again, I love it chunky, so I use very soft avos, and just mash them with a fork. Salt, pepper, lime juice, and that’s it, Because we already got super fiery salsa, I don’t recommend adding chilli here, to balance all the flavours. But the choice is yours, as always.
- Make your hot vegan cheese sauce- recipe here. It will only take you 10 minutes, so now, you can test your professional chef’s skills and see if you can time everything right, haha. Ready, steady, go. Switch on the gas, switch on the oven, nachos in, sauce in making!
- Now, time to present t as messy as you like! Cover warm nachos with cream, salsa, avocado, throw those chickpeas and pour the warm sauce. Delicious!
Why making this loaded healthy nachos
Ok, I agree. You could just go to the shop and buy all the ingredients in jars and have them ready on the table in no time. And you probably can get pretty good stuff too. But here’s the trick. To get quality food, without any additives and preservatives you will be paying the premium. If you are on the budget, you will more likely reach out for cheaper jars, which are full of weird stuff. So, making your own simply is the best choice. There is something deeply satisfying in preparing your own food, and I love doing this whilst my friends and family have gathered around, and they can be a part of the process. You can make most of the components of those healthy loaded nachos in advance, and the rest will seriously take 10 minutes. It is all about having a well-stocked larder and fridge, and always keeping those essentials handy, so you can throw a jaw-dropping wine party in no time.
My top tips to and swaps
- cashew cream- if you are short on time, simply use shop-bought plant yoghurt or plant cream, and make it a bit sour by adding lemon juice
- nachos- you can make your baked tortilla crisps, simply cut tortilla wraps into triangles, cover with sunflower oil and spread evenly in one layer on the roasting tray, bake till golden. Be careful, they catch fast!
- instead of nachos, use oven chips, that’s my favourite way of making ‘dirty fries’
- smoky roasted chickpeas- if you are short on time or you haven’t been organised to soak the chickpeas the night before, that’s ok, you can use tinned ones, just make sure to pat dry them well before covering them in sunflower oil
- if you got liquid smoke, that’s great, add a small splash to the chickpeas, it will make them even more smoky and delish
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